biographical info
"Country music renditions of a Cormac McCarthy novel." - Dylan Wilks, the NEXUS (Victoria, BC)
Cheering for the Bad Guy area Winnipeg based honky-tonk band. They released their eponymous debut independently in 2008, and their sophomore LP "To The Last Drop" in July 2010 to a packed crowd at Winnipeg's Royal Albert Arms.
Sheldon Birnie started writing Cheering for the Bad Guy songs in 2004 while traveling across Western Canada, playing in punk bands, panhandling, and making pizzas. The group began playing gigs in 2007, with the current line-up solidifying early in 2009, with Good Dan on Banjo, Wet Will on keys, Nathan "The Doctor" Ham on guitar and fiddle, and Ben "The Dank" Moir on drums and harmonica.
Since then, Cheering for the Bad Guy have played across southern Manitoba, from folk festivals to agricultural fairs, in basements, bars, and arenas, to audiences of all ages. With the release of their second album, Cheering for the Bad Guy are preparing to play even more shows, and to take their tunes across the country.
lineup
Sheldon Birnie vocals, guitar, lyrics
Dan Stewart banjo, vocals
Nathan Ham guitars, cadillacs, hillbilly music
Ben Moir drums, harmonica, vocals, slide whistle
Wet Willy Tartleton mandolin, piano, vocals
influences
Burton Cummings
Propagandhi
Dwight Yoakam
Fred Eaglesmith
Bob Dylan
The Band
Drive-by Truckers
The Boss
George Jones